The high temperatures reached by parts of an automobile engine suggests the application of engine waste heat to the generation of usable power. Electrical energy generated in this manner could be used to supplement the power of a generator or alternator, or could be used to drive specific eletrical components (e.g., lights, fan, radio, air conditioner, etc). The principle advantage of this method is that the primary source of energy is waste heat, i.e., the extraction of electrical power via such a method does not reduce engine efficiency. In fact, since power consuming items would no longer need to be driven by the engine or by engine-generated electricity, the effective efficiency of the engine would be increased.
The present invention uses the Seebeck generator effect of extracting heat from vehicle hot exhaust pipe gases to produce a voltage for use in the vehicle.